iPhone Activation Errors

There is not much of a chance for you to encounter such errors on your Apple device, but it is better to be prepared and know how to fix them rather than just stay and wonder what to do.

In case you see a message on the screen of your device stating “can’t activate your iPhone now” this can mean lots of things. For example, if you are trying to use a SIM card from other network provider, it might not work if your device is locked and your current network provider hasn’t allowed you to unlock it.

In this article we will try to explore all possibilities of fixing such errors and make your phone work properly. Below you will find a small list of some of the most common used known errors.

The activation server is temporary unavailable and thus you can’t activate your device

The device can’t be recognized and because of this can’t be activated

iTunes can’t verify your device

Here is how to fix those mistakes

1. Follow Wait and See Policy

If you see this error for first time, then it would be better for you to wait. There is really big chance for Apple’s servers to be really buggy and busy at this moment and this is why you are facing error or this kind. This is why it might be better to wait for a couple of minutes and give it a try again. You can also remove the SIM and replace it and go through the activation again.

2. Restart the Device

Restart your phone! This measure sounds pretty simple but is actually highly effective in most of the cases. Of course it doesn’t guarantee that your activation will continue seamlessly, but there is really big chance for this to happen. As for the whole process of restarting, just press down the power button until the slider shows up and turn off the iPhone. After the reboot try the activation again.

3. Lock/Unlock SIM Status

The next logic thing that you should do is to check whether or not the SIM card you are using is working properly. You will easily get this kind of errors if you are using a SIM card from a carrier which you haven’t used so far.

If the case is similar, you will have to call the carrier and ask them to activate your SIM card + device. The process is not really hard and the office assistant will guide you through it. This step is really important if you have your iPhone from a carrier and now you want to change it and use another one.

4. Check for Possible Network Issues

Again, it might sound silly, but as you know you need internet connection in order to activate your phone. This is why it would be better to check your connection and see whether or not it is reliable. Just in case – change your wireless connection and try again.

5. Try Activating Via iTunes

This part is a bit tricky but really useful. Try activating your device via iTunes. This can be done with a few steps. First connect your device to the computer via USB cable. Turn off the iPhone, reboot it and open iTunes (in case it doesn’t open – perform the operation manually).

Once your phone is detected by iTunes, you might be asked to follow a couple of steps in order to activate the device. Just try it – you might be able to fix your device via this method.

6. Restore Your iPhone

In case none of the above mentioned methods have worked, roll up the sleeves and restore your iPhone. Turn off the device and connect it to your personal computer. Open iTunes, switch the device on. Then iTunes will detect the device and offer you to perform a backup. Go through the process and once you are ready try to activate the device once again.

7. Get in Touch to Apple Care

And last but not least – if nothing works it is time for you to get in touch with Apple care and explain your problems to the customer support.

Disclaimer! In case your device has been jailbroken previously, there is a really big chance this to be causing the problem. So it might not be a bad idea to remove the jailbreak and try to activate it again.